


Not Even Duct Tape Could Fix This Day

by Niki



Category: MacGyver
Genre: Gen, bad day, ice hockey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 20:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niki/pseuds/Niki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All he wanted was to watch the Flames beat the Oilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Even Duct Tape Could Fix This Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lightcudder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightcudder/gifts).



> Beta by my brother, with whom I watched MacGyver as a kid, and my better half, who nags about my grammar anyway.

It was one of those mornings.

He woke up to the alarm clock after way too little sleep. His plane had been delayed and had touched down at LAX well after midnight. Consequently, he had only got about three hours of sleep before the damn contraption woke him up.

It took him a while to realise the sound was not part of the dream, an alarm alerting the guards to his presence, and his careless slap to silence the clock managed to drop it on the floor.

It did silence it. Permanently.

Mac groaned, and sat up to survey the damage. The little plastic clock was lying on its side beside the bedside table, it's back cover next to it in two pieces, and the batteries half way down his bed.

He picked all of the pieces up, still blinking sleep from his eyes, and muttered something vaguely offensive under his breath when re-inserting the batteries failed to start the little fellow again.

He took the clock with him to the kitchen, and set it aside while preparing breakfast, then sat down to eat it while opening the clock's case with his trusty Swiss army knife. The culprit turned out to be a loose piece inside the machinery, and he fixed it easily enough. Sipping his coffee he screwed the pieces back, then got up to find a roll of duct tape which – as usual – could be found all around the apartment. There was one in the kitchen cupboards though he wasn't sure why it was there, or when it had ended up there.

Well, it wasn't pretty, but the clock was ticking again and the silver tape was holding its back cover in place. It would serve until he was back in the country for long enough to purchase a new one.

Yesterday, South America; today – who knows. Being a freelance troubleshooter with reputation like his meant he had more offers than he could take on. Usually they were emergencies, too, which meant there was little time for preparation. And it was very hard to say no to the government.

The phone rang just as he had finished the last of his coffee. He groaned. Think of the devil...

Part of him wanted to let the machine pick up the call but in the end his curiosity – or practicality – won. He'd have to respond sooner or later.

For once it wasn't a high-ranking officer needing a favour. Well, it was a job offer, but only from the old lady down the street whose TV had stopped working, and since Mr MacGyver had so kindly helped her neighbour in a similar situation she had thought she'd check if he was home before calling one of them expensive repairmen, and she was sure Mr MacGyver wouldn't mind, being such a nice young man.

Mr MacGyver stared longingly at his sofa, and the VCR which had – he hoped – taped the last evening's game for him, and said he would be over in a minute.

He got dressed and grabbed his knife.

It seemed it was going to be one of those days, too.

\- - -

Mrs Fern's TV had been easy to fix, seeing that the problem was with the remote control that had been dropped to the floor a little too often by her cats. At least Mac got another cup of coffee for his troubles.

He was walking back to his place when he spotted one of the neighbourhood kids trying to untangle the chain in her bicycle from around the paddles. Without further thought he crouched down and helped her finish the job.

The problem wasn't as easy to solve as he had thought because there was something stuck in the chain. He tried but couldn't reach it even with the tweezers from his knife. He looked around, trying to see if there was something he could use to help. His gaze fixed on the girl's jaw – she was chewing on something.

"Can I have some bubble gum, too?" he asked.

The girl thought nothing of his request and offered him a piece in colourful wrapping. He put it in his mouth to soften it properly, then used it to remove the foreign object.

"Cool," said the girl, inspecting the little rock stuck in the piece of gum.

Mac reattached the clean chain to its proper place and made sure it wouldn't fall again.

This time he got a toothy smile for his troubles, smiled back, and ruffled the girl's short hair before moving on.

He was just opening the door to his place when the phone rang again. His hands were greasy, so he had an excellent reason to let the machine pick that one.

It was Jack. He had a brilliant idea that required Mac's co-operation. Mac felt no guilt in removing the message as Jack wasn't in trouble. Yet. His excellent idea would most likely get him in trouble sooner or later but for now... Hockey.

The game had been on time, the tape seemed to actually contain all of it, and Mac settled down on the sofa with pleasant expectation. Maybe he should unhook the phone? Nah, there might be an actual emergency and he would never forgive himself for missing a call like that.

Besides, from idea to trouble within a few hours was a little fast, even for Jack, so he should be okay at least for the first period. He was all set for the latest instalment of the Battle of Alberta.

He started smiling when the pre-game intro started rolling. Maybe one day he'd actually get to see Wayne Gretzky play live.

Yeah, and pigs might fly. And his grandfather might voluntary spend time with him one day... maybe they could see the game together! Yeah, and Gretzky could be traded to the Kings, and Hell could freeze over.

For now he'd settle for Flames beating the Oilers.

And there was a knock on the door.

* * *

He didn't know what the gadget in his hands was for, nor did he particularly care. The only thing wrong was loosening of the elastic band that attached it to the user's – in this case his next door neighbour's – hand.

Further investigation revealed that the band wasn't exactly so much loose as completely unattached from the other end. It had a loop in the unattached end that went through a plastic arch that had had some kind of locking mechanism in it.

He glanced at the desk next to them.

"Can I use this paper clip?" he asked, picking up one from the magnetised holder. (Neat things.)

"Sure," she said slowly, obviously wondering how that would help him, and watched intently as he straightened the twisted bit of metal and cut off an inch long piece with his knife.

He pulled the string loop out of the casing, slid the metal piece through the loop and let the elastic pull back, slowly, slowly... there, his replacement part worked. He gave it an experimental tug and the string held.

"Here you go," he said, giving the instrument to the woman.

"Oh, thank you, Mr MacGyver. I know it was a little problem but my wrists get so achy if I have to grip it for a long time without the elastic band to attach it to my hand. Can I offer you some coffee for your troubles?"

"No, I couldn't bother you..."

"No bother at all, Mr..."

"Really, Mrs. Dean. I really have to go."

Two coffee cups later he managed to make his escape.

So what? What did it matter if it took another hour to start the tape? Thanks to the magic of VCR the puck drop would wait for him.

 

* * *

He opened the door to hear his phone ringing again. This time he was foolish enough to pick up the receiver.

"Mac!" Just his luck. Jack. An awfully exited sounding Jack.

"Glad to finally reach you. Didn't you get my message? I'm picking you up in half an hour."

"No, Jack. I just returned to the country. And last evening´s match is waiting for me on tape and I intent to watch it right now. I can't – I *won't* – go on any wild goose chases with you today."

"Yesterday's game? Why would you bother? Your team lost."

\- - - the end - - -


End file.
